Victoria, British Columbia: Steve Umemoto

Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Colombia, has been listed among the highest quality-of-life cities in the world. With a population of only about 92,000 and a metropolitan population of just under 400,000, it is Canada’s seventh-largest city. That part of Vancouver Island was occupied by the Songhees, one of several of the Coast Salish peoples, probably for several centuries before the arrival of the first Spanish and English explorers in the 1770s. The first European settlement was a trading post of the Hudson Bay Company in 1843 – first named “Fort Albert” and shortly changed to “Fort Victoria”.

I had expected early October in western Canada to be rather cold and blustery, but we were welcomed by warm days and considerably more sunshine than we have in London this time of year. Sea currents apparently give Victoria a more mild climate compared with settlements at the same latitude in the interior of North America.

During our four-day visit, we enjoyed visiting some of the historical buildings and museums, walking the tree-lined streets, some good food, connecting with X-UNICEF friends, and visiting the spectacular nearby Butchart Gardens.

 

Inner Harbour, Victoria, BC

The home of British Columbia’s provincial legislature is popularly known as “The Parliament Building”. Tony Kennedy reminded me that Canada in fact has only one “Parliament” and that sits in Ottawa. Victoria’s building, completed in 1898, is nevertheless impressive with dome and long wings of white marble. At night it glitters with lights.

 

Parliament Building, Provincial Legislature, Victoria

Parliament Building

“The Empress”, now operating as the Fairmont Empress Hotel occupies a prominent location opposite the city’s Inner Harbour, next to the Parliament Building. Opened in 1908, it was one of the grand hotels constructed across the country by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

 

Empress Hotel, Victoria 

Empress Hotel

    

Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria

Craigdarroch Castle

The imposing and elaborate Craigdarroch Castle was constructed between 1887 and 1890 by a rags-to-riches Scottish immigrant who made his fortune in coal and railroads in 19the century western Canada.

The Victoria-Vancouver area is also the home of several good friends of the X-UNICEF community, and I was delighted to meet up and catch up with all three I knew well from our UNICEF years together across Asia.

With Nigel Fisher in Tsawwassen

Dinner with Fergus McIntosh in Victoria

With Tony Kennedy in Cowichan

Clearly the “crown jewel” of southern Vancouver Island are the Butchart Gardens. Robert and Jennie Butchart came to the area in 1904 to establish a cement plant near the rich limestone deposits at Tod Inlet north of Victoria. Beginning as early as 1906, Jennie envisaged a garden in the quarry whose limestone was exhausted by 1912. She began transferring top soil to the quarry by horse cart and the gardens took shape over the next 20 years with a Japanese garden, an Italian garden and a rose garden. Today it is still owned and operated by the family. I for one, consider it among the most beautiful gardens in the world. Even a rainy day visit in October, proved an absolutely memorable experience, filled with color and serenity.

All following photos are from The Butchart Gardens

Published on 12/13/23 4:30 PM